Pata Yamaha WorldSBK managed to put up an amazing performance in Misano, courtesy of Alex Lowes. The rider capped his run at second place in the 10-lap Superpole sprint race. During Race 2, Lowes was aiming to repeat his stunning podium win. However, Lowes only managed to finish his run at fourth place. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, on the other hand, crashed in both races in Misano. The defending Supersport World Champion was unable to repeat his magnificent past performances. Cortese lost the front and crashed out of third place just after half race distance. He managed to rejoin and garnered a single point at the chequered flag at Misano. Marco Melandri and Loris Baz also presented sterling results during the weekend at Misano. Melandri finished his run at 16th place, whereas Baz scored 12th place. Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark made his comeback to the Misano paddock following his heavy crash in FP2 on Friday. Further examination of his injured wrist confirmed that the two ribs thought to be fractured on Friday were in fact only bruised. He will undergo surgery at Rimini Hospital to plate his fractured right radius.
Photo credits: Yamaha Racing
“The weekend has been a pretty good one overall, marred only by the mistake yesterday when I was trying to win Race 1. I got caught out by new standing water. It was a bit unexpected at that point in the race, but I’ll learn from it. This morning was good, and I was expecting to be stronger this afternoon. However, we struggled a bit with acceleration as the temperature rose and grip went down,” says Lowes as quoted from Yamaha Racing. “We’d made some changes to the bike compared to Friday, but the worsening track condition made it difficult to assess whether these were an improvement or not. It was tough for everyone in the race today. I tried to pass Haslam a few times, but I didn’t feel comfortable on the front and couldn’t make the passes stick, so I had to settle for fourth in the end. Now it’s off to Donington, my home track, after a two-day test in Suzuka – I’m looking forward to it!”
Alex Lowes | Photo credits: Yamaha Racing
“First of all, I’m very sorry for the team and my crew. They did a fantastic job this weekend and it’s a shame we leave here with just one point after today, because a lot more was possible, including a first WorldSBK podium finish. The positive thing is that we made a big step since Jerez and I was able to run with the front group, which was our goal for this weekend. In the end, I had two crashes where I lost the front and both times I didn’t feel I was on the limit but, once again. I learned a lot this weekend. A big shame and a big disappointment because everyone gave their all this weekend. But that’s racing; you have ups and you have downs. Now I am looking forward to working hard to be ready for Donington.”
Alex Lowes | Photo credits: Yamaha Racing
“Actually, it was a good weekend for me, even if I missed the result in Race 2 today. In the sprint race the bike felt much better for me; we knew it was going to be hard to finish top nine from 19th on the grid but, in the end, I had a little bit of luck and finished sixth. In Race 2 I got a good start, but I wasn’t going to accept to finish fourth, so I was pushing hard to pass Haslam, which wasn’t easy. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and went down. I’m sorry for the team and for Yamaha because they’ve been working so hard and they never gave up, even after difficult days. That makes me more motivated than ever for the next round in Donington, a track that will suit the Yamaha well.”
Alex Lowes | Photo credits: Yamaha Racing
“Overall, it’s been a good weekend, with the fourth place yesterday putting a smile on people’s faces in the team. The sprint race was tough today, as I was expecting a good feeling after the warm-up. In the race the feeling was gone and I felt close to crashing on the front in every corner. We made a change for Race 2, but that just moved the problem from the front to the rear and I was spinning up everywhere. It’s the first time I’ve ever had more grip on the last lap than the first! I finished 12th, picked up some points and continued the learning process. At the moment, the most important thing for us is to finish every race, collect the data and increase our understanding of the bike and the tyres.
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